E ner gize Yo ur Wee k:
With B o b Ye a g er
H o w to S t op
Pro cra stination
T hi s do cu m ent i s the property of Out-S i de the B o x Live, In c a nd B o b Ye a g er
in no w a y i s it to be di stributed, given a w a y, c o pied or s old without per mi s si on fro m B o b
Ye a g er.
H o w To S t op Pro cra stinatin g
• Recognize that procrastination stems from habit. New habits will be needed, and
these take time and commitment to develop.
• Harold Taylor defines procrastination as the intentional and habitual
postponement of an important task that should be done now.
• Understand the cause for procrastination, then develop strategies to fix it.
• Recognize the difference between an appropriate decision to delay, and an
irrational postponement without justification.
• Fix procrastination by working on a) tasks and b) your environment:
TA S K S T R AT E G I E S
U n ple a s a nt ta s k s
• Unpleasant tasks rarely turn out to be as bad as you think.
• Complete these tasks first. Schedule them for early in the day. Give yourself a
reward for doing them.
C o m plex Proje ct s
• Something looms ahead of you: starting a small business, getting a job, preparing
the annual budget. The job is too big or will take too long to do now, so you put it
off.
• Break large jobs into smaller, more manageable tasks. Plan and complete a startup
task, no matter how small.
Inde ci sion
• People delay because they can't make up their minds.
• Determine a time for making a decision and the criteria for making it. Share your
deadline with someone else.
Fe ar of failure (la c k of s elf c o nfiden c e)

• People don't want to face the consequences of failure, so they delay. (Some
people suffer from fear of success too!)
• Develop a clear mental picture of the completed task and how you will feel at that
time. Maintain a focus on the end result, not just the process. Remind yourself
how good you'll feel when you're finished.
L a c k of intere st
• You are tired or lazy. You're just not very interested in the task.
• Reward yourself for accomplishments. Go out for special lunches when major
projects are completed. If you don't earn the reward, don't take it.
• Schedule the task for when you will be at your peak.
Perfe ctioni s m
• People delay because they want to get the project perfect.
• Set deadlines for yourself. Tell other people your deadlines and encourage them
to check up on you.
• Maintain your high standards, but recognize that sometimes 80% for you may
well be 100% for someone else. Don't spend hours conducting a detailed cost
breakdown when a rough estimate would suffice.
H o s tility to w ard s a bo s s
• People delay because they don't like the person who assigned the task.
• Review with your boss what exactly is needed. Clarify the expectations.
• Make a game out of unpleasant tasks. Give yourself points, or do a running
commentary on yourself as you do the task.
Di stra ction, la c k of fo cu s
• Sometimes losing concentration causes delays.
• Create a to-do list with priorities.
• Block your time for projects.
• As you get distracted from a work project, make a rule that you are not allowed to
move out of your chair, make a call, surf the net, pick up a book etc. until you
return to your task.
• Complete something. Make a very small task for yourself and finish it. Very
small. Then, make another one.
E N V I R O N M E N T S T R AT E G I E S
• Tailor your environment for work. Close your door, clean up the clutter on your
desk.
• Remove distractions such as water coolers, snacks, in-boxes, coffee machines and
magazine racks.
• If you work at home, treat your office as an office. Don't go out to lunch before
lunchtime or watch television before the end of the day.
• Tell your family that you are not to be disturbed in your home office.
Make sure to check out the DELFINworld empowerment platform...
http://tinyurl.com/l392nd